And this is MY CROSBY

Look Close in this sea of red..

You'll see a little non-conformist in pink- that would be Alice

In Texas, Football rules!!!

In the interest of full disclosure I want to preface this by saying, although we've lived in two small towns in texas, I've only been to two football games, one last year and one while pregnant with Joely. Before Robert (I like to refer to that time as BR) I went to a high school football game to watch my friend Darrah (who got married yesterday and I had to miss the reception in Dallas due to Joely bear having strep-) do her dance at a homecoming game. Her parents were in Europe and so I sat in as a youthful aunt. But I digress.

Last year we went to a game in Crosby, it was awesome, it was surreal, it was a flash forward into a world that I'm sure to join in a few years when the boys bulk up enough to be deemed worthy to wear the Cougar Helmet. A world where mom's wear their boys jersey to games, or bejewel "Cheerleader Mom" on their fancy shirts. The town is very into the sport. The team did real well, they went took district and headed to state playoffs. I may be wrong, and I'm sure it's on the website, but I think they lost in playoffs to Dayton High School, our neighbor to the north. That's the other football game we went to , Before Joely--We went to watch Little Kacie Petty and her flag team. Kacie is Robert's cousin and she's adorable. That game we sat on the Dayton side and cheered against Crosby, well not so much against Crosby as we cheered for Kacie, because the next weekend their band would be performing at the Macy's thanksgiving day parade.

So back to this week-

This year to kick off the season the Crosby High School hosted a community wide pep rally. All of the schools performed, there were free luke-warm hotdogs, cold water and plenty of Cheer. I went because Alice's school was performing the "cougar shuffle." The boys school also had something there, but they chose to stay home and relax. You are going to be hard pressed to find a pep rally of this magnitude outside of the deep south. It was fun and I'm pumped up, I mean I know this is their year to take state!

HERE COME THE KINDERGARTENERS!!!!

At this point Alice spotted the Camera and began her

cheese and ham fest!

We Say Totally, You say Awesome!

Totally Awesome!

Totally Awesome!And this one time, at Band Camp

The Drum Line!
Your Cougar Drill Team--In Casual Gear, not their

usual Cowboy hat and boots, like the Kilgore Rangerettes

The varsity Cheerleaders

The best t-shirt I've seen (and don't I wish I had a camera phone) said

"Athletes lift Weights

Cheerleaders Lift Athletes"

Oh and thanks to title nine, they did also cheer for the Volleyball team-- but by then I was so full from my hot dogs that we were headed home- thus there are no pictures from my camera, but here is one I snagged of their website.... hmm no pictures of the volleyball team, maybe someone should check on their title nine status!

Why I like the blogging world!

How my mess helps to create the genius that is my children!

So I found this cartoon on an old friend's blog. When I say old, I mean I knew her about 20 years- not that she's old. And this is why I love the blogging world. Thanks to it, I've coneccted (what is the spelling of that word, in the time it has taken me to write this I could have looked it up) with some old friends. It's neat to take a peek into their lives and see what they've been up to for the last twenty years or so. This week in particular I heard from Aryn Fitzwater, who was a friend of mine in Colorado Springs, her and her posse were/are 4 years younger than me, but I was their "leader" at girls camp and I adored them and named them my "precious little cherubs." Thanks to hearing from Aryn, I peeked in on blogs of her sisters, her dad- who I loved- another cherub Renee and Jan Mason (the person from whom I stole this cartoon)-- Jan was one of my young women leaders- and she was awesome and I'm sure she still is.

Another reason I love the blogging world is because I like to write down my thoughts. Now especially with only Joely at home, who is here to listen to me. Sure Joely is a great listener and she's smart too, but she doesn't exactly validate me! This way I can write down what I'm thinking and then look back later and see who validates me, my goal is to be cool like Brianne and have like 16 replies. I know it's kind of superficial, but that's me.

Before closing I'd like to end with a lovely mental image. Sadly the only person with me was Joely and she's not good with the camera, yet. I was out this morning putting up "Join Cub Scouts Now" signs all over Crosby. At several points as I'm bent over with my largesse butt in the air, someone would honk. I told my friends Alex and Robert Pena (husband and wife, alex is a shortened version of alejandra) about it, they said, "YOu still got it!" hee hee-

I used to make fun of the adult scout leader in the uniform with the patches, and now that's me and my life, so much so I'm actually RECRUITING people to join our Pack.

Enjoy the laugh on my behalf, beleive me I find myself laughing too!

Update on the Bus driver situation---

Hey, Alice did in fact get a lunch, they must have let her "charge" it- she didn't know what it was (something with holes) but she did like the banana-- "it was cut in half"-- Anyhoo I called my friend Mrs. Connie (the former busdriver) and she said she would have made sure the lunch kit got to Kindergarten, but sadly they don't pay people to care, so it's basically a crapshoot if you get a decent driver or not- -she said she'd find out who the bus driver is ---

The rule of the day, don't mess with the Cub Scout mothers Mafia!!!

Thanks for the concerned e-mails! I should have put in that tidbit about Alice getting to eat!

A rant about lame bus drivers--

So yesterday Alice got off the bus and she didn't look real happy, Quentin was quick to report that she was crying when he got on the bus. So I asked her what happened and she said, "I didn't get to eat my lunch!" This left me horrified, I had made her pasta salad, hard boiled egg, carrots (with ranch)-- well I didn't so much make the carrots as put them in a baggie, and for a snack her favorite, Grapes. Don't forget the Princess drink cup!!!!
So what happened was in the morning, she left her lunch kit on the bus. So instead of being a human being and realizing it was the little girls (clearly a girl it's pink) day would be bad if she dind't have her lunch, the bus driver just left it on the bus. Now I anticipated, somthing might happen, so I put her name, her school (for those interested, our school district has Kindergarten at their own campus, first and second at their own campus and so on) her teachers name and MY PHONE NUMBER -- in a sharpie on the OUTSIDE of the lunch kit. I wouldn't expect them to do this all the time, but come on the first day of a KINDERGARTENER.

When the (I'll call her evil) Evil busdriver dropped off the kids at Kindergarten (her last stop) do you think she could have done a quick sweep of the bus then and then handed any CLEARLY MARKED lunch kits to the people at the school???? Seriously they are just standing there.
Ok so that might have been too hard, I'm sure at the "bus barn" they have to walk through their bus, all she would have had to have done at that point is call the number on the lunch kit, I would have come down and got it from the bus barn. BUT NO, she hands it back to the precious little angel at the end of the day- and then yells at her when she goes to eat it. Of course it was all icky by then and she shouldn't be eating anything in the bus, let alone ranch that's gone bad.

And to add insult to injury, she was a full 20 minutes late getting home. Quentin was super mad because he thought he should be able to sit with his sister and the bus driver won't let the 3rd and 4th graders sit with Kindergartners, which I understand, but when there is a FULL-BLOODED relationship, why can't the big older brothers protect their cute adorable sister????

A pox on the bus driver.

I know two bus drivers, One Mrs. Walsh, a wonderful lady, I'm certain that on the first day of school she would have made sure the "baby" had her lunch, the other is Mrs. Connie, who is a former driver, but I'm POSITIVE, in her heyday, she would have made sure Alice had her lunch.

I'm done with the rant.



Other than that, Alice reported her first day to be totally awesome. Her teacher doesn't use a "color"system, where you stay on green, go to yellow all the way down to red for your behavior- she uses "Super" then "oops" then "time to think" then "bad bad bad" so Alice declared that she was "super" and would always be "super"-

David liked having his buddy JT in his class and enjoyed lunch, he hated everything else. Quentin said the same thing but complained that I didn't put a sandwich in his lunch. I said, "Q-bone you are nuts, I made you a sandwich" we were in the kitchen and he looks at the toaster, "did you toast my bread?" I said yes, " the toast is still in their mom"--- so he did not have a sandwich -OOPS!!! My bad- but he did have plenty of other treats and a granola bar for good measure- a chocolate chip granola bar, but a granola bar none the less.

OH an this morning I wake up Alice at about6:15, which would give her plenty of time to take a bath and eat her breakfast before primping her hair and clothing. The boys get up at about 6:30 and 6:40--- they are much quicker--- Anyhow, she began ranting on (I don't know where she gets that--definatly a Mullens trait) about how I never let her sleep, blah blah blah-- Well here's the deal. I want to make sure they have time to be clean and well dressed before school and eat a decent breakfast. I also want to make sure we have time to pray together and IDEALLY read the scriptures together. Inevitably (last year) it was rush rush rush at the last five minuts, the prayer was no longer an oral beckoning to the heavens for my child's welfare, but mostly a silent prayer that the bus would be late. And the "reading of the scriptures" was usually me quoting Saint John, "and jesus wept"- all the while pushing the kids out the door. I vow that this year will be better- so far - so mediocre. The prayer time is more meaningful, the scripture has changed to "love one another" but still no 15 minutes of devotion along with a hymn, beautifully plinked out on my piano...... One day my fantasy world and my real world will meet, of course by then, I'll either be on the other side, or in a padded room.

Below are some adorable pictures- enjoy!

Little Joely eating at Cafe Express, without Big Sister!

(not pictured Mrs. Arcalee and Mrs. Holli)

You can't hear her, but she's YELLING "DAVID"

RObert trying to kill two birds with one stone while trying not to kill "the precious"

Alice hates to "sleep alone" so Robert was reading the paper in there, hoping she'd fall asleep- note the beautiful, fairy realm netting, it's supposed to protect her--- needless to say, but I'll say it anyway she slept with Robert and I.

Good times, good Times

It wasn't too bad...

PEACE
So thankfully the bus was a full fifteen minutes late, so by the time it got there I forgot I was supposed to be emotional, I was dripping in sweat and couldn't wait to get back home, plus it was on the other side of the street, so I had to use my old 4th grade crossing guard skills to get them across-- and David and Quentin left their lunch kits on the other side of the road-- so I had to go back and get the lunch kits, run them to the bus all the while about 20 cars were waiting- LOVELY!!!!! Alice is so excited, I can't even cry about it! Here are a few pictures of them waiting! I forgot to take the picture of Bus 10 driving away with her, I'll have to take it after school

When will the bus arrive???? Alice's hair is going flat! HORROR

And so it begins.....

Kindergarten starts today!!!!

Third and Fourth grade start today too, and the boys are not very excited. Apparently they are aware of what happens next. They LONG for the days of Kindergarten with snacks, dancing and coloring.... David begged me for five more minutes, so he's still asleep while Quentin takes his shower.

They will all get on Bus 10 in about an hour.

I will be in the fetal position-

Thankfully Joely and I will be eating lunch with Arcalee and Holli today to brighten the day!

T